1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to systems at the disposal of users to prevent their personal computer such as portables or notebooks from being stolen or hacked and relates in particular to a security system for preventing a personal computer from being stolen or used by unauthorized people.
2. Background
As personal computers are targets for hackers and thieves, passwords are used to protect the vital data or prevent the computer from being used by unauthorized people. These passwords are in conjunction with encryption and authentication keys used to establish secure communications between computers. It is possible today to install a program in the computer that will encrypt sensitive data so that these data cannot be read by anyone who does not have the unlocking key. But it is necessary to store the key somewhere, and if this key is not complex, it will be found.
Despite the constant development of new technologies, passwords are still the most common security tools; they are also the most abused, and often the easiest for an attacker to break. Passwords present a kind of security paradox. The best passwords are the most difficult to guess: long and random. Unfortunately, these are also the most difficult to remember. Moreover, most experts strongly recommend to use different passwords for each e-mail, e-commerce, or other account, and that you change them regularly. As a result, most people either choose easily guessable passwords, or write them down where they can be copied or stolen.
The answer to this conundrum is to use password safes. These programs provide a space to store the long, complex, or random passwords, and then encrypts them so that they cannot be stolen. Some password safes will even generate random passwords for you. But they are located on your disk and need also a password to activate the software.
For preventing a PC from being stolen, a standalone alarm system can be used. It is implemented on a PC card which is used as an intermediate device for connecting to the monitor and printer via a cable and special security tabs. If anyone disconnects the cables or takes apart the PC or if the power is off and someone attempts to use the computer without entering a special electronic security key, a deafening alarm sounds. But, such a system is efficient only when the user or someone else can hear the alarm.
If nobody is present, the thief has time enough to stop the alarm or even if the alarm is not stopped, to escape with the PC.
Accordingly, a feature of the invention is to provide a security system to be installed on existing personal computers having at least a location for a PCMCIA card, such a system enabling the authorized user to be automatically warned if anyone attempts to steal their PC or to use it without being authorized.
Accordingly, the feature of the present invention relates therefore to a security system for preventing a personal computer (PC) that includes at least a location in the PC adapted to receive a PCMCIA card from being used by unauthorized people having an extractable card having a connection element adapted to be inserted into the location for receiving a PCMCIA card, and including a processor and wireless transceiver for remotely transmitting alarm information relative to the PC. A further feature includes a program stored in the memory of the PC for communicating with the processor in order to activate selected security functions.
Various other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will become more fully appreciated as the same becomes better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the several views.